Gold and Silver ETF surge
Gold and silver ETFs gained sharply on January 29, tracking the sharp rise in the precious metal. However, the yellow metal’s ETFs are currently outperforming those of silver after several sessions.
Gold futures with February expiry on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) jumped 9 percent to hit an all-time high of Rs 1,80,779 per 10 grams. The contracts with April and June expiries also surged around 9 percent each to fresh lifetime highs.
Silver futures with March expiry meanwhile gained around 6 percent to hit a fresh all-time high of Rs 4,07,456 per kilogram. The contracts with May and July expiries also jumped around 6 percent each to their respective lifetime highs.
Why are gold and silver prices surging today?
“Growing U.S. debt and uncertainty created by signs that the global trade system is splintering into regional blocs as opposed to a U.S.-centric model (are leading investors to pile into gold),” Reuters quoted Marex analyst Edward Meir as saying.
This comes after US President Donald Trump urged Iran to engage in negotiations and strike a deal on nuclear weapons. He warned that any future US attack would be far more severe than the one in 2025 when Iranian nuclear sites were struck. Tehran responded with a threat to strike back against the US, Israel and those who support them.
Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve decided to leave rates unchanged on Wednesday, as widely expected. the precious metal also drew support from crypto group ‘s plans to allocate 10–15 percent of its investment portfolio to physical gold.
Gold, silver ETFs jump:
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Kotak Gold ETF surged more than 13 percent to hit a fresh all-time high of Rs 155 apiece, while Baroda BNP Paribas Gold ETF gained around 10 percent. Axis Gold ETF, 360 ONE Gold ETF, Union Gold ETF, LIC MF ETF and others gained around 9 percent each.
Motilal Oswal Silver ETF meanwhile gained around 8 percent to hit a fresh lifetime high of Rs 371.91 apiece. Nippon India Silver ETF and few others also gained around 8 percent each in the morning.
Gold vs silver:
Motilal Oswal Financial Services in a recent note highlighted that silver has delivered an exceptional rally of over 200 percent in the past 12 months, sharply outperforming gold’s 80 percent rise during the same period. This made silver one of the strongest-performing assets globally.
However, the domestic brokerage noted that this sharp outperformance of the white metal has led to a significant compression in the gold–silver ratio, which has fallen from pandemic highs of 127 to around 50 at the beginning of 2026.
“This reset suggests that while the long-term outlook for precious metals remains constructive, the near-term risk-reward equation may now be shifting in favour of gold after silver’s outsized run,” Motilal said.
“Silver has delivered sharp outperformance in a short span, and with the gold–silver ratio now near lower levels, the near-term risk-reward is turning more favourable for gold. While we remain positive on both metals and silver continues to have long-term upside backed by industrial demand and tight physical market conditions, the recent rally has also increased near-term volatility. In this phase, a higher allocation to gold can help manage fluctuations while staying invested in precious metals,” said Navneet Damani, Head of Research Commodities and Manav Modi, Commodities Analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.
However, the domestic brokerage emphasized that it does not have a negative view on silver. But, it suggests a risk-managed reallocation strategy after an aggressive up move. It added that silver has become more volatile with sharper price swings, while gold continues to offer relatively better stability—making it a preferred near-term hedge in uncertain market conditions.
Despite the sharp surge in prices, global silver ETFs have seen outflows of over 3 million ounces since the start of 2026, while gold ETFs have witnessed comparatively steadier inflows, reflecting investor preference for more defensive positioning, Motilal added.
Also read: Is it time to shift money from equities to precious metals? Here’s what analysts say
The brokerage advises investors a 75 percent allocation to gold and 25 percent to silver, indicating a preference for gold as a relatively steadier hedge in the current environment, while still retaining meaningful exposure to silver’s long-term structural upside.
“Going forward, we believe investors can benefit from a rebalanced precious metals strategy—retaining silver as a long-term structural theme, while increasing gold allocation to manage near-term volatility and capture a potentially stronger risk-adjusted opportunity in the next phase of the cycle,” Damani said.
Long-term investors may consider staggered allocation within asset allocation limits, while short-term traders should remain cautious amid continued volatility, said Aditya Agrawal, Chief Investment Officer at Avisa Wealth Creators.
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